


A Slave's Bell

by Ereschkigal



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Drama, Friendship, Just write down the goddamn sexlist with all it's goods, M/M, Master/Slave, Minor Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki, Minor Hasegawa Langa/Sakurayashiki Kaoru, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Psychological Drama, Sex Toys, Sexual Slavery, Sexual Violence, Shameless Smut, Skateboarding, Slavery, Someone help this poor boy Langa, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:08:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29383947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ereschkigal/pseuds/Ereschkigal
Summary: He is Eve. The counterpart. Perfection in its purest form. Langa is everything Adam was looking for. An opponent. A romance worth breaking. After the first S-race between them was interrupted by the police, the king of skateboarding is already making plans for a restart – this time with a bet on his lips. If Langa wins, he can have whatever he wants. But if he loses – and he surely will – he becomes Adam's Eve. The toy in the S-race. The unwanted companion at Ainosuke Shindo's side.
Relationships: Hasegawa Langa/Shindo Ainosuke | Adam
Comments: 20
Kudos: 145





	1. An unintended invitation

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [A Slave's Bell](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/759948) by Ereschkidal. 



_Hasegawa Langa_

For a moment, the breath hung on his lips, faltering, making the heart pound unsteadily and the sound of the wheels on the uneven track fade away. The breeze in his face disappeared into the unknown, came to a halt as if to watch, while time stopped in the fraction of his perception.  
It was silent. In his head. In the surroundings. In the fibres of his body. And yet, his eyes widened as Adams Love Hug kicked in completely unexpectedly. A move that no one had seen coming and at the same time a calculation that had escaped Cherry Blossom. Adam could use his technique whenever he pleased and in those lacklustre moments when he seemed to be coming towards him, Langa's heart skipped a beat. It seemed like an eternity, a lost infinity, before he caught himself again. The heat on his skin burned, still clung to him in a completely alien way as he leaned forward to meet Adam. It was unwanted warmth from that absurd dance they had performed before he had escaped the clutches of that madman – no less caught up in the excitement of the act.  
The options for escaping Love Hug seemed limited, were so crushingly small that to escape was tantamount to a baseless wish. Evasion, at this rate, would throw him off course just as panic had stolen all balance from Reki. It was the perfect trap. A game set up by Adam, which he used with pure pleasure to feast on the failed hopes and conjectures of others. But it was not enough to arouse honest despair in Langa. _He wasn't yet at the end.  
_ Determined, Hasegawa took his stance, saw his rival approaching, felt Adam's unbridled lust on his lips, as if he would devour his opponents at the last moment. Arms stretched wide, he seemed to want to take the whole world into his custody – only to crush it. Proximity that Langa had to escape.  
Almost automatically, he adjusted one foot, seeking proper support from the rail Reki had bolted to his skateboard. _The only support that could save him._ Anything that gave him security as the abyss drew closer.  
And then he simply jumped off. In the same manner as he had done snowboarding in the past. Free of rules and way beyond Adam. Closer to the goal than anyone else. For Reki, he would win. Turning the silence into loud cheers. But all that got through to him after landing was the sound of ominous sirens.

“Langa? Hey, Langa!”  
“Huh?” Consciously the addressed took a breath, at the same time turning his head jerkily to the side to look into Reki's surprised eyes.  
“Is everything all right?” Irritated, Kyan tilted his head, trying to make sense of what he couldn't comprehend. “You were totally lost in thought. Is that with Adam still on your mind? I have to admit, that was pretty cool!”  
“It was unexpected,” Langa admitted, recalling his counterpart's exuberant pose over and over again. An embrace that could be nothing short of affectionate and yet was meant to convey dangerous affection. The desire of a man that threatened to break one into a thousand pieces.  
“Not half as unexpected as the moment you took off. That was amazing!” Reki's enthusiasm seemed to fill the entire street, while the gleam in his eyes reflected his love for skating. Kyan hadn't been without a skateboard since Langa knew him. His heart burned for the sport as much as Hasegawa possessed a love for snowboarding. And skating added to it, joined in the same track, even if some days it seemed much more difficult than others. But when he understood the slope of something, the impressive movements and displays came within reach. That was what made it fun. Turning the seemingly impossible into something quite conventional.  
“You could have beaten him.” Almost snivelling, Reki slumped his shoulders, sighing out the frustration Langa couldn't feel. It had been too much fun for that, even if the end hadn't arrived. _Not yet._ Miya had kept his eyes and ears open over the last few days and didn't doubt a continuation of the race. _Neither did Langa._ Adam was too obsessed with the idea of competing against Langa. _For whatever reason.  
_ “I don't know.” The board under his arm, Langa lowered his eyelids. He was far from having arrived. Adam was ultimately in a completely different league, considering that for most of the time he had played with him as if he were nothing more than a funny puppet for the general public's amusement. Though fear had abandoned Langa in those seconds, the nervousness had been there. One that he couldn't grasp now. It had felt different from conventional tingles on the skin that ate through the mind by inches. More intense. More biting. More exciting.  
“You were great!” exclaimed Reki indignantly, again interrupting Hasegawa's surging thoughts. “I bet by the time Adam calls for a second round, Miya will have taught you a few more tricks that will help you win. Besides, there are still Cherry and Joe.”  
“You're probably right.” _Maybe_. But Adam wasn't to be underestimated. They had once thought they could assess him and were surprised. In the end, no one could say what else he could master. His accuracy was razor sharp, no less than his mind.  
“Anyway, what I wanted to say,” Reki took the floor again, steering the conversation back to a topic that Langa had completely blocked out before, “I was thinking about making a new board. This time I even have a plan on how to get it neatly designed. To be honest, I've already started on it. More or less...”  
“And how did it turn out?”  
“It's still a piece of wood with no shape. Every time I pick up a tool, I'm afraid of slipping or making a hole or accidentally setting it on fire...” Sighing, Reki put a hand to his forehead. “Not that I work with fire, but it's the thought that counts.”  
“You shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself.” Carefully, he gave Kyan a gentle smile, some agreement despite quiet amusement. No matter how it turned out, it would be special in the end. For he put heart and soul into his work, wishes and hopes that reached you when you closed your eyes for a moment.  
“You say that so easily.” Wincing, Reki shook his head, then buried his hands in his trouser pockets. Silence fell between them briefly, stillness that beckoned to distant thoughts Langa didn't want to follow. He had to concentrate, not let Adam distract him. Turning his gaze to Reki, he preferred to watch as he opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something, only to be interrupted by someone else at just the right moment.  
“Hey, you! Stop right there!” someone yelled behind them, drawing all attention away from the conversation and to the round figure rushing towards them at an unexpected speed.  
“Who is that?” Sceptically, Langa raised a brow.  
“Oh, crap! Langa, we have to get out of here!” Without really answering, Reki threw his skateboard to the ground and set off with a push forward. At the same time, he looked back over his shoulder with an apologetic expression and gestured with endless hand signals for Langa to hurry as the stranger drew ever closer. The unease inside made Hasegawa ponder, think back to how many times they had had to flee from teachers and others who had wanted something from Reki. The option of being in the line of fire himself was just as tempting as experiencing Adam's Love Hug first hand. So Langa dropped his board too, found his footing and followed the direction Reki had set.

All the training, the exercises and the fact that giving up was out of the question had made him faster. By now he was steady on his feet without running the risk of slipping or being too slow.  
The speed he had acquired by pushing off the ground several times carried him along the road, straight ahead behind Reki, who gave him a quick wave. “We'll meet as agreed!”  
“Okay!” Briefly, Langa waved back, then watched as the redhead took the next turn, leaving him alone on the path. It was easiest that way. If anyone chased, it was better to split up. At least for Reki, because it made it easier for him to get away. But this time the pursuer seemed to know who the culprit was. A searching glance back assured Langa that the unknown man had also turned off, chasing his real goal instead of pursuing after the wrong person. Something that made Langa breathe a sigh of relief, eased tension he hadn't noticed before. It was always like that. Sometimes the uncomfortable heaviness would settle surreptitiously on his shoulders, unnoticed in the shadows of other figures, until the reason behind it dissolved and the tension faded. A little as if his body had stiffened to first perform and then feel. It had been the same with Adam. At the right moment he had simply worked.  
The light headwind stroked soothingly through his hair, at the same time tugging apathetically at his memory. Thinking back to the S-race still made his pulse pick up speed, rising restlessly out of fun and uncertainty. Uneven asphalt led him past parked cars, empty front gardens and tired neighbourhoods where no one seemed to move. Only the laundry on the lines on narrow balconies hinted at more. In Canada, the feeling of peace had never come to him in this way. It was noisy most of the time, people on every corner and nothing like the quiet back streets of another country. Perhaps he had never really paid attention to it at home either. All he knew was that when Reki was with him, Canada seemed very close.  
Distracted, Langa let the board coast to a stop, bringing it to a halt a few turns before the packed streets. Then he got off the skateboard. Again he picked it up, tucked it under his arm and leisurely resumed his walk. Sometimes the surroundings were too beautiful to scurry past. And it gave him a little more self-determination in a world that was moving far too fast.  
Langa gradually left the remaining houses, which were somewhat hidden from the main routes of workers and students, behind him until he reached the busy street and the chatting passers-by, whose noise level brought life with it.

The skate park where he would meet up with the others was down the street, maybe a ten-minute walk. Not a far walk, but his movement paused barely two steps along the pavement. Cold licked across his skin, setting the fine hairs on the back of his neck on end and bringing with it something that still traced lanes in the back of his mind. The subliminal smell of aftershave and pungent peppermint recalled itself. Heat from a foreign body. The hungry look behind a mask, accompanied by an outfit comparable to a magical bullfighter. _Adam_.  
Hectically, Langa turned, eyeing the passing people in surging disquiet as they greeted him with amazement. Searching, his eyes rushed over black heads, school uniforms, shopping bags, dogs, then parked cars, until his gaze lingered on a black car he had seen before. At least he thought he had. It gave the same impression of wealth that had come up when the police had interrupted the last S-race. _It had to be him.  
_ Stoically, Hasegawa remained at his post, letting the sounds of the world move behind him, his gaze fixed rigidly on the car. The feeling of being watched was too strong for Langa to believe Adam was not sitting behind the tinted windows. And his feeling didn't deceive him. It took barely three breaths before the engine started and the car moved closer. A sign to come towards, which is why Langa almost reluctantly pushed himself to the side of the road. His pulse rose again while his heart lingered quietly in his chest. Whatever Adam wanted, he possessed no power over him outside S.  
In front of him the car came to a halt again and lowered the rear window. Hasegawa counted the seconds – four in number, before he caught sight of Adam's mundane face for the first time. Different from what he expected, yet perfectly fitting.  
Dressed in a blue suit, his pale complexion stood out. Azure hair slicked back with gel in the conventional manner, the amused eyes of his counterpart fixed him like no other. Red, dangerous in every breath.  
“How good to see you.” Adam's first words are nothing more than amused singsong full of feigned friendliness. “I knew you'd come this way.”  
“What do you want?” Brash rejection was all that remained. Not for a single second was Adam allowed to gain control, because ultimately there was no reason to get any closer to him than was really necessary. Something his counterpart took in stride.  
“You like to get to the point, it seems. Now then, shall we go for a ride?”  
“I pass,” Hasegawa replied quickly, raising his free hand defensively.  
“Are you sure?” Adam seemed to lean out of the window a little, the lofty smile firmly planted on his lips. “There's an interesting innovation in our next race.”  
“An innovation?”  
An approving hum escaped his counterpart, making Langa raise his eyebrows sceptically before Adam tempted him further. “You want to win, don't you? And surely you care about your friends.”  
A sly threat trailed coldly across Langa's skin, leaving nothing more than emptiness in his mind because he didn't know what Adam meant by it. It sounded threatening, almost as if his friends' lives depended on the decision within this conversation. At the same time, there was something subliminally secret about it. Something that wanted to reassure that there might actually be some innovation in the races that could also be important for Reki and Miya.  
And all of a sudden, getting into the car seemed like the only right decision.


	2. Forced bet

_Hasegawa Langa  
_

Adam moved to the side as Langa opened the door and tensely found space beside him. The distance was just enough to place the skateboard between them, but not enough to block out the smell that had recently hit him on the track. Inside this car, Adam seemed to be everywhere. In the cold leather seats, in the chilled air, between the cracks of the seating and even in the oxygen that seemed so necessary to breathe.  
“Around the block,” Adam ordered beside him, making it impossible to just sit back and let the ride wash over him impassively. Although the backrest lingered invitingly at Langa's back, it seemed to be nothing more than a cautionary plank within unspoken plans. A reminder that there was something unusual about being close to Adam that was impossible to gauge. Even in this state, without mask or outfit, he possessed an air of treacherous ingenuity that Hasegawa didn't want to be exposed to for a second too long. Not until the whole thing could be roughly assessed in order to prepare for anything else.  
The car jerked briefly as it obediently merged into traffic, leaving the saving pavement behind. At the same time, Langa felt the tingling restlessness on his skin that kept him incessantly on his toes. His mind tried to break out in between, to understand Adam, who had started talking next to him. Clear, clean words in fine Japanese. Sentences of which Langa didn't understand a syllable. It seemed as if the smug talk passed him by, and though he didn't want to be rude, his gaze wandered waveringly around the interior of the car.  
Small screens had been attached to the opposite headrests, presumably showing the news and other trivia as one struggled through the controls. Reki would probably have immediately switched to a cartoon, or a report on the skating of those who were much better than the participants in the S-races. A thought that made him smile. Surely Kyan was already waiting for him. When it came to skating, no one was on the spot faster than him. Even if his arm was still bandaged and the pain certainly present. Caution was not his greatest strength.  
Half in thought, Hasegawa snatched up a few words Adam divulged. _Adversaire_. _Love in a spectacle that could hardly be more delightful._ Nothing important under a curtain of French words and hackneyed verses.  
It seemed as if he wasn't getting to the point and yet Langa felt a healthy measure of alertness flicker within. A watchful mind that allowed itself to be befuddled by trivial questions. _First and foremost, work.  
_ He and Reki were still students. Shadow worked in a flower shop. Cherry had fallen victim to the art around calligraphy and Joe worked as a cook. Yet none of them were as equipped as Adam, who had an expensive chauffeur-driven car ready whenever it seemed necessary. On the other hand, it was hard to imagine someone like him in high society. Someone who was obsessed with love, strange dances, and quirky mannerisms. No matter how you looked at it, any plausible information completely screwed up the picture behind Adam.

A sudden touch on the chin, advanced by shadows out of the corner of his eye, startled Langa, made his heart stop mercilessly as Adam forced him to look in his direction. Merely with his thumb and forefinger, his seatmate directed him as he pleased, before his words came through clearly for the first time. “It's rude not to listen in a conversation.”  
Adam's voice resembled a low hum, unlike the tones he uttered in elated joy. There was something pleasurable about it, reflecting a hunter in the face of his prey. Menacing and at the same time arriving at the top of the food chain.  
“I was distracted,” Langa confessed, bringing the hint of an apology to his lips, because in Japan politeness was paramount. At least, every other one conveyed that image. And he wanted to adapt to this country. Even if there was no seriousness in his attempt. Not towards Adam. “What is this information about the next race?”  
“Changes that affect only the two of us.” Carefully stroking along Langa's jaw, Adam released his grip and let his fingertips slide almost lovingly down his neck. Shallow touches that Hasegawa pushed away, stopping with one hand as he casually put a stop to him. The rising frustration of his interlocutor graced Adams lips with a grin that resembled a wolfish smile of anticipation before he finally leaned back.  
“Don't you think the same race with the same rules wouldn't be a bit...bland?” Crossing his legs, he folded his hands on his knee. “I was thinking of something a little more entertaining to add some spark to our next date.”  
Basically, Adam was addressing something that sounded completely uninteresting to Hasegawa's ears. He wanted to run the same race again. To feel the wind in his hair, the finish line in sight. A fair chance to win for Reki and Miya. Maybe a little for himself, too. More had never been on the cards.  
“I think a rerun of the race is enough,” Langa replied dismissively, pushing Adam's absurd interest away.  
“Do you really think so? Suppose you actually won, would winning alone be enough?” Questioningly, Adam raised both arms, shrugging his shoulders as if it wasn't his problem in the end. “Short-lived glory, a little celebration. But what does this victory bring you?”  
“Satisfaction,” Langa returned, a little too monotone, perhaps a little too honest. “For Reki and Miya.”  
“As you would expect from my Eve.” For a moment Hasegawa pricked up his ears as Adam leaned casually towards him. The attempt to dodge failed with the door stealing any escape. In those seconds there was no escape as a hand was placed on his leg, gripped, though not firmly. The uncomfortable sensation of being touched spread. Adam straddled the skateboard between them as if it didn't exist, pushed its very existence into the background. Before Langa could even reach for Adam's hand, push it away from him, the space between them seemed to be used up as well. Their faces close together, Hasegawa could feel Adam's heat on his skin, could no longer block out the smell of this man, and could sense the breath trembling on his cheeks. It was the same closeness they had shared in the last race, akin to a battle. But this time they were not on the boards. There was no way to break away, to dodge, to escape Adam's dominance.

Wedged between the cordoned-off refuge and Adam's intrusiveness, Langa could no longer hide the flowing unease. Sweat itched at his temples, made the interior of the car stuffy hot. Everything in him wanted to gain distance, but every conceivable way out remained blocked. By the door, the body of another man, and the inability to resist. The stimuli were too great for that, too intensely focused on this one situation that couldn't be trumped by skating. _Here he was given no choice.  
_ “How could it be otherwise?” The anticipation that crossed his opponent's lips was no less terrifying than the certainty that he was plotting something. “But one should not pursue the path of love too long with the same attractions, don't you think, Langa?”  
“I don't follow you,” Hasegawa pressed out, voice still accompanied by composure, while physically nothing matched. His shoulders shook slightly, his hands stuck sweatily to the seat, his breath finding its way only intermittently across his lips.  
“It's quite simple.” Momentarily Adam drew back, releasing the air to breathe at last, and sat down again in an upright pose, one palm open in front of him to clarify his words. “We should use our next race for a bit of a boost. How about a bet?”  
“A bet?”, Langa echoed uncertainly, finding himself a half-decent amount of space on the seat and placing the skateboard on his legs this time. It seemed more useful there. Gave more security, not allowing a spot for renewed advances. Adam ignored it.  
Confirming Langa's question, he merely gave a hum before continuing his thoughts. “A bet with stakes worth making.”  
This time he replied with silence. A bet sounded like a deal with the devil, considering the way Adam dealt with people who were worthless to him. He had used Miya, turned Reki aside as entertainment and finally hurt some spectators at the last race. Because none of that mattered. At his centre was him, Langa, because of simple rivalry. Because of an idea in his head that Hasegawa couldn't grasp.  
“I suppose you're wondering what the stakes are.” Unconcerned, Adam continued, not letting the silence that filled the space between them bother him. “If you manage to win somehow, you can have whatever your heart desires from me.”  
 _Meaningless_. No matter what desires drew their orbits in the back of his mind, only one question remained in the foreground, and he didn't want to ask it. Because he would win no matter what. _Somehow_. And yet Langa echoed it monotonously. “What if I lose?”  
“Then you're mine,” Adam returned in greedy excitement, his voice still in an amused singsong that wouldn't stop. “For a year.” Briefly, he clarified with a throwing away hand gesture that that wasn't the best part of all this. “You have a chance to break away from my love at any time, of course, if you beat me in a race. But every other defeat will cost you a year of doing my bidding.”  
“And if I refuse?” He had to get out. Away from this car and the absurd idea of playing Adam's game. At the same time, it seemed long too late for that. He had listened to him, which also meant that Adam had his methods for getting what he wanted no matter what.  
“You're free to do that, of course.” The smile on his seatmate's lips seemed genuine – if only for a split second. “But I wouldn't be averse to accepting a rematch from Reki.” Briefly, Adam tilted his head. “Which I can't say I'd go easy on him again. But who knows, maybe his next fall will be his last.”

 _He would kill him. Without batting an eye._ Two clear thoughts that crashed upon Langa like a tidal wave, leaving only an icy sideways glance. Threatening aversion that was to reach Adam, while thunderous agitation left Hasegawa's skin cold, but couldn't compete with the inwardly heated rage. Indignation that reached to his fingertips and made them tingle restlessly, leaving no room for questioning or despair. He wouldn't allow Reki to go up against Adam again. Not in this state and not as long as Hasegawa could ensure that nothing happened to his friend. Because Kyan wouldn't understand the danger in another match.  
Refusing would be the better choice for him alone, Langa knew that. The thought that there was even the slightest chance of becoming Adam's chosen servant was repugnant to him. Not in a way that aroused hatred. But the wretched feeling between his ribs grew heavier than lead at the very idea. Still, Reki was more important than that. Added to that, he was sure he could win. He could beat Adam if he gave it his all. If Miya showed him a few more tricks and the rest had his back.  
“I agree.”  
“I hardly expected anything else.” Relieved, Adam ran a hand through his hair, loosening his shoulders as he kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling. “I can't wait to see how your abilities will unfold with my love until infinity is reached. What do you think, Langa? How much will it take for you to perish from defeat?”


	3. Secret plans

_Shindo Ainosuke  
_

The tension was palpable, thick and irresistible in the face of the game they would play. His body could hardly have been more overstimulated, flooded with electrical impulses that drove him on. Langa beside him probably felt it too. His rigid figure near the window conveyed discomfort, which Shindo was delighted to give him. _For this was only the beginning._ His chosen Eve would get used to it – one day, when it was certain that there was no escape. Unless Langa beat him. And he was far from that.  
“You were certainly going to the skate park, I assume, weren't you?” Dripping friendliness resonated in Adam's voice, filling the interior of the car relentlessly. It was a spectacle he kept alive because gross offences remained frowned upon. _Except when skating._ There he could be devastating, dragging destruction behind him, and people celebrated him for it. Because all they cared about was a good show and that's exactly what he could give them whenever they wanted. But Snow didn't even respond to his friendly manner. The saccharine words rolled off him baselessly, making him almost unattainable. The boy's cool nature swept icily over Adam, over the lies and desires that seemed so irrelevant whenever they shared the same air to breathe. Something that made Shindo smile. Once Langa was his, then he would drop the gimmick, little by little. For Snow would understand – the fact that they shared a significant part.  
An approving growl was all that escaped Langa's throat, prompting Ainosuke to signal his driver. Just a small gesture of love, as long as it was fresh and exciting. As long as it had something in it that he had never been able to find in anyone else.  
The excitement behind the thoughts forced Adam to tighten his fingers on his legs, to use the pressure to clear his mind. He wasn't allowed to come near Langa, couldn't put his hands on his firm flesh once more to feel the heat of alien skin through light fabric. Instead, he needed to cradle him in safety, to overstretch the arc only minimally, to dig slowly into the boy's mind. If he went too far, Snow would run away. If he didn't go far enough, everything else would be more important. His friends, for example. Kaoru and Kojiro, Miya and the little redhead Reki, who had no value whatsoever and yet stood in the way. _Between him and Snow._ Problems he had to fix.  
 _It was simple.  
_ He would beat Langa and enjoy his new possession. Taking in and appreciating the expressions from shock to contempt and irritation. Every single second Adam would sacrifice for him to slowly clip Eve's wings, rip out the feathers and pull the ground out from under him, to watch how low an angel could really fall. All while he got rid of every single one of them along the way. _Reki first and foremost._

The car stopped at the side of the road barely five minutes after Adam's controlled gesture, ready to release Langa, yet unwilling to let go. His slender fingers were already gripping the door handle as Shindo struggled to say a tentative goodbye.  
“See you, Snow.” Unintentionally, his voice broke into a charming singsong. An ebb and flow he couldn't control as the word “ _Snow_ ” melted on his tongue. He liked the sound too much for that. The palpitations that name left in him whenever he could pronounce it.  
In fact, Langa turned to him once more, with firm determination in his eyes. “Until the next race.”  
Only then did he turn away for good, getting out and slamming the door behind him as if he had survived an argument. And Shindo could relate. They had argued, terribly so. On an interpersonal level, when the touching was real but not wanted.  
With a sigh, Ainosuke sat back, relaxed his muscles and pushed Langa back into the background, where he had to linger when the boring daily routine with all its mutts and puppets called. Lack of excitement streaked him in politics and yet it couldn't catch up. The priority was too far away for that.  
“Where to?” His driver's question rang out at the perfect moment.  
“Back to the estate,” Shindo returned, unwilling. There was a mountain of paper waiting for him at home, expert addresses of second-rate negotiators who would all end up eating out of his hand. Bores who spent their free time with alcohol and women because they had nothing else. People whom Shindo met with a deceptive smile in order to fleece them like a Christmas goose. Accompanied by the unwelcome chatter of his aunts, who wasted the whole day drinking tea and talking about gossip. That's all they cared about besides the TV in the room and the acceptable decorations. He only came under their eyes when he returned. Because it seemed a duty to return the useless comments and chatter in between with compliments before he could spend the rest of the day far away from them. At the end of the day, they were merely maggots feasting on something that didn't belong to them. Just because they were family and gave seemingly valuable, political advice that any idiot could have given in the middle of nowhere.

Groaning, he put a hand to his forehead. Only the thought of his aunts left a dull throbbing in his head that bit unpleasantly into his temples. A dragging beat that reminded him of disco evenings and parties he and the other two had attended when a few good tricks worked on the boards. Back then, everything still seemed completely carefree. Light and childlike, laced with pleasure – before the reality of his family had woken him up and the first skateboard had ended in fire. Nevertheless, the troupe had had its charm. Not least because they could hardly have all been more different. Kaoru had been the temperament of the group, Kojiro the serenity with changing women on his arms. An entertaining combination that had broken down more and more the older they got. Because it was boring and also because Adam had been so much better than the other two. They had always seen skating as just a game, not realising the true beauty behind tricks and lost faces of losers. Following the call to the top had been the only right thing to do. And for that he had left his friends behind – because they had become useless. Old ballast that he had had to cut off.  
Without further ado, Adam glanced out of the window, watching the passing buildings, letting his mind wander to shift the useless aspects. What remained was emptiness. Pleasant silence, which he used to close his eyes and catch his breath. Stress was bad for the body. Unpleasant memories too much weight for the mind. He had to shake all that away from him, forget it existed. Listening to the silence was like a relief, a freedom that could be embraced and used. There, deep inside his head, no one could disturb him. Right there he was all alone, silent amid sirens and horns. Minutes to himself – breaths that passed faster than they could be perceived.  
The half hour to his own estate seemed to be overcome in four breaths, leaving Adam in reality. He sucked in the air one last time before opening the door and pushing himself outside onto his own legs. Right in front of the mighty mansion he had grown up in. The house where the servants shared secrets and in whose garden his first board had been burnt. A chic home that was equal to humans. At their best on the outside and orderly on the inside, with all their mendacious characteristics.

With firm steps, Ainosuke headed for the entrance, leaving the car in the driveway. Climbing the few steps to the door, it was already opened in anticipation. The first glance fell on Tadashi. “Welcome back, Sir.”  
Without reply, Shindo found his way past his secretary, heading inexorably for his aunts' lounge to get the unwelcome conversation over with. Nothing else mattered. Tadashi could still give him news later and take over the next preparations for S.  
The churning feeling of drifting unwillingness settled in his stomach, but didn't shake his upright gait and tightened shoulders. To his aunts, he had to be flawless. Show no weakness, risk no mistakes. He still had time for that later – at the latest when Langa finally belonged to him and would make some aspects of everyday life easier for him. Until then, patience was the order of the day. Friendliness that made him glide almost light-footedly over the threshold, directly into the room, whose flowery scent had an almost calming effect. Not noticeable, but subliminally present. This time, however, the women's chatter did not extend far beyond the threshold into the hallway. Instead, all interest hung on the television, which revealed the latest reports of the day. Nothing special and yet they kept a watchful eye. One of the few qualities Adam appreciated about them.  
“I see the attention of the beautiful ladies is entirely on the news today,” Shindo introduced in casual amusement, immediately drawing the eyes of his aunts. Predatory yet covetous expressions that seemed to engulf him from top to bottom, while embarrassed blushes settled on the cheeks of one or the other.  
“Ainosuke, you are back already. Is the business done yet?” one of them inquired. The red lipstick on her mouth perfectly applied as usual, no less flawless in her overall appearance than the others.  
“My appointment with the Foreign Minister has been postponed and the rest of my papers are here,” he replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, clutching the report on the television instead. “Was there any exhilarating news?”  
“The usual,” another returned, contorting her face so that her wrinkles became more visible. “But before the news came on, we had quite an interesting topic.”  
“Really? Are you going to let me in on it?”  
“We were thinking about when you would finally bring home a woman fit for marriage,” the first picked up again, smiling in a treacherous manner because she had been hoping for a new woman within these four walls for far too long. Someone fresh and entertaining. Added to that, someone who would put him in a better light than his life of loneliness. He couldn't stay in this position forever. At some point he would have to give in and Adam could just imagine his aunts taking pleasure in picking out a wife for him. Exactly what he least wanted. A girl by his side would be a waste of time if she didn't at least understand the art of his pleasure. Besides, most of them all wanted the same thing anyway. _Money. Power. Riches measured in jewellery._ Hardly any would be interested in, in the eyes of most, childish recreational pleasures. Because they were too blind to unique charms.  
Langa, on the other hand, was different.

“Ainosuke?” Concerned, one of his aunts tilted her head. “You seem to be in thought.”  
“I was just thinking about your desire for a woman by my side,” he toned down his musings, but kept them close inside. He didn't often lose himself in inspirations to the wolfish females that lurked in this room. But this time it was all right. Because it awakened ideas in him that conformed to those of his aunts.  
“So you're finally going to actively search?” Hopefully, the women leaned forward, eyeing him from top to bottom, until another of them found words again.  
“That's wonderful!” she put in enthusiastically. “You know, I know a wonderful girl of a friend who would be eligible for you, Ainosuke. Perhaps you would be interested in meeting her?”  
Defensively, he raised his hands, the warm smile carved lovingly on his face. “I'll have to respectfully decline.”  
“There's someone already?”  
“Indeed,” he admitted, avoiding more specific information as to the woman who was running baseless circles in his mind. The exciting beauty who resembled an angel and yet would never fit into the image of his aunts. But the amazement on the features of these women was satisfaction, brought him lurid triumph in those seconds.  
“Who is she?” one inquired.  
“Is she of good family?” one asked further.  
“What would she bring to this family?” one sounded him out.  
Questions, all of which he acknowledged with a gentle shake of his head and nipped in the bud before putting his index finger to his lips like a secret. “I don't want to give too much away. I'm still courting her.”  
“Our boy is shy!” Giggling, one of his aunts lightened the mood, letting another chime in, while the eldest of them pursed her mouth. She looked unhappy with the answer and knew in the same breath that there was nothing she could do about it. Probably because none of them believed that he would be rejected. No woman in her right mind would reject a nice, charming, obliging, and above all rich man. _But Langa wasn't a woman._ He wasn't a human interested in these false aspects in the foreground. Instead, his heart was attached to the same excitement that magically attracted Adam. _To the thrill between the lines.  
_ It was easy to ignore the restrained laughter of his aunts, to accept it because it was okay. For that moment, it was within the bounds of tolerable because his mind was attached to Langa. The boy who would be his. The one who would sweeten his days until there was nothing left of him. Not a single feather. Not a wish. Not an angel.


	4. Preparations

_Hasegawa Langa_

With difficulty, he shifted his weight backwards, slowed down the horrendous speed, just as Adam did with Love Hug, and failed to jump in the very next breath. The rollers under his board literally scraped across the smooth surface of the concrete that poured the skate park into shape. It jolted through his legs, from his toes up to his knees and beyond. His thighs tingled, still feeling Adam's imperious grip on them. An act that caused unrest in his mind and made the tricks Miya had shown him seem impossibly hard. _Or maybe it was just his imagination.  
_ The lack of balance caused Hasegawa to stumble over the board, a few steps wide, before he caught himself and looked back impassively. The emptiness inside, the faltering desire, smothered his concentration. At the same time, his heart thumped unsteadily against his ribcage. The board's rollers continued without him, carrying it a little way away from him and his plaguing imaginings. All within seconds, which Langa only perceived stretched. His muscles remained tense, a part of him longed for loud shouts of Reki – verbal support. But he was left with only silence, rustling in his ears. Perhaps he needed to clear his head before he could continue. To take a breath, to concentrate on the skating itself instead of Adam. But the acrid smell of alien imaginings had been close by two hours ago. Threateningly close in an unpleasant way. An encounter like this didn't pass easily. _It stayed.  
_ Without further ado, Langa found his way back to his board, promoted it into his hand with a neat kick to the side before dragging himself and his weapon against Adam back to the other two. Right where Reki was also sitting, staring holes in the air while Miya hung uneasily on his mobile phone. Somehow he settled down between the two, hugging the skateboard tightly to his chest and resting his chin on the upper edge. The impressions from before wouldn't let him go. Adam had nestled in his mind. The thought of his words, his threat, the game they were now playing with each other brought unimagined pressure. Something Hasegawa hadn't noticed before, but which now wrapped itself around his legs like lead. There was only one way.  
Of course Langa wanted to win. The desire still blazed within him. But Adam was good and to take him lightly, to declare victory before it even seemed within reach, remained foolish. Still, Hasegawa had felt strong at that moment, soaked with courage to win no matter what. Because he had believed he could fight back with it. Because he really wanted to hold on to the fact that Adam had no chance against him. Not least because the stakes were utterly reprehensible. At the end of the day, Langa wanted to enjoy most of his tricks and races with Reki, not Adam. He didn't want to have to worry about anything. Having fun together was what really made him happy. Because here it was different from snowboarding, where he had mostly stood alone because no one knew how to handle him. The boy who had talent. The boy who stood alone behind the finish line because he had no friends.  
With Reki, it was perfect. Friendly cohesion that Hasegawa wouldn't trade for anything in the world.  
And that was exactly what made Adam a threat. If he challenged Reki again, it would probably kill his friend. The last race had already been one dangerous accident. It could have ended worse. Considering that Adam still considered it humane, he didn't want to know what would happen if he actually lured Reki onto the track another time. As it had flashed through his mind before, the certainty in the back of his mind sounded even more convincing this time. _Adam would kill Reki._ Because he loved skating too much and certainly wouldn't want to lose to Adam again. Reki would fall into the trap.  
And Langa had to avoid that.

A slight bump against his shoulder startled Langa, made him look perplexedly to the side where Kyan's amber eyes seemed glued to him. Not enthusiastic, yet interested. “Is everything all right?”  
His voice sounded dejected, tired, as if he had been the one working on Miya's tricks all this time without success. At the same time, something resonated in the undertone that Langa couldn't gauge. Bitter and grumpy, comparable to defiance that Reki tried to swallow. The cheerfulness of the beginning of the day had vanished in one fell swoop. Instead, the thin smile on his lips seemed almost forced.  
“It's Going pretty well so far,” he continued, turning his gaze forward again. “Your Halfcab is perfect and the big Spin is getting better too. I'm sure you'll manage the rest in a few days...or hours.”  
An encouragement with a bland aftertaste, Hasegawa noted. Something was hanging on Reki's nerves, dragging his mood to unattainable depths where before everything had been fine. A bit like something had happened on the way to the park. But simply asking seemed too direct. If something had really happened, Kyan would talk about it when he was ready. Langa was sure of that. So he leaned back a little against the grille that had been placed half lost in the middle of nowhere and directed his gaze towards the skate ramps, also lost in thought. Everything else would come in time.  
“I'm going to beat Adam this time,” he said calmly, talking to himself to regain his inner peace. He couldn't let Adam's behaviour distract him. Not while a victory with more than a smile was at stake.  
“Sure,” was Reki's narrow reply. Not much, not what seemed hoped for, but Langa simply overheard it. Kyan's mood wasn't something he wanted to take too seriously. Instead he opened his mouth, gathered the fragments of words in his head and weighed his own problem. It would be easier to tell Reki the truth. To tell about the bet and appeal to common sense. Maybe then the pressure would come off. But the words seemed untraceable, hiding behind the mere idea of “ _Then I win the bet and Adam can apologise to Miya and you!”_. Reki would question it. And something would happen. Something Langa was afraid of the consequences of.  
So not a single sound crossed his lips. The half confession stuck on his tongue, wouldn't come off because the result seemed too vague. _Stalemate.  
_ He wanted to tell Reki somehow because they were friends and also because it was important on many levels. On the other hand, this moment didn't seem like the right time to make Reki worry even more. He was already lost in thought, plaguing himself with an issue that wasn't easy to grasp. Forcing Adam on him as well was too much. Probably Kyan would jump up instantly and intervene. Do something to get Langa out of this absurd bet. And that would only result in danger for Reki in the end. Even if Langa did his best.

“Hey,” his friend's voice came through to him again almost silently, “are you sure everything is all right? You know...you can just cancel the race with Adam. No one would blame you for that.”  
For a blink, Hasegawa could say nothing, do nothing, only look at Reki uncertainly because the question seemed perfectly appropriate with its suggestion and yet couldn't have come more out of place. At the same time, he admired how Kyan simply put what seemed so thick between them and questioned it. A nice gesture that Langa could only acknowledge with a thin smile in the end.  
“Yes, everything is fine,” he returned, completely convinced by his own words, although his thoughts were still turning circles. Still, he wanted to look at things positively. Not call the blue sky washed out and not blame the warm sunshine for the chill on his skin. He had to see the good in it all, take his chances and not worry. That was the only right way to ease the excitement.  
With renewed vigour, Langa swung to his feet, ready to go through the tricks again, when Miya stopped him with a simple wave of his hand. “The new race has just been set,” he said.  
“You can look that up?” Although Hasegawa didn't make a face, the information remained surprising. S-races were secret for a reason, and yet they found a way to their participants in plain sight.  
“You can,” was Miya's banal reply before he lifted his gaze from his smartphone. “A week from today. We don't have much time.”  
Sighing, Miya stowed the device in the pocket of his green jacket, which was two sizes too big on him but still looked cool. Then he set his sights on his own board, which was leaning against the grille beside him. He didn't have to say what was going on in his head to make Langa understand. They had seven days to gear up against Adam for a definitive victory. That meant seven days of training, as long and intense as possible. Seven days in which nothing would happen but an everlasting routine that would become one with him. He had to improve as much as he could. Bring something new and become faster.  
The heart in his chest beat faster with joy at all the work. With Reki in good spirits about the race and Miya chalking up every mistake to him, it couldn't go wrong at all. Consequently, he threw his skateboard to the ground, jumped up and slowly rolled back to the concrete. Packed with resolutions and positive ideas, he would surpass Adam and win the bet.  
He would be able to enjoy the excitement all over again.


	5. Envy

_Kyan Reki_

It had been okay. For a moment. Somehow. Or so he liked to think. But it wasn't. In the end, none of it was really bearable because he felt he could only watch Langa disappear. Far out of sight.  
Legs pulled close to his torso, Reki watched Hasegawa, watched as his friend seemed to visually move further and further away. The distance between them grew wider, more and more conspicuous, leaving nothing more than a gigantic chasm that no one dared to cross. At least not Reki. Yet he had been prepared to accept it. He wanted to rise above the negativity within. The day had started so well, with sunshine and simple chit-chat that had passed his lips so easily. Even running away from the old guy he'd accidentally fallen over the flowers in the open front garden had been fun. It had been good until they met at the skate park and Langa started practising his tricks to compete against Adam.  
Langa was good. _Frighteningly good.  
_ Sighing, Reki averted his eyes, fixing them on the ground as if that would make the grim images in the back of his mind better. But they remained, presenting him with this invisible wall that he didn't know how to overcome. Again he looked up, watching his friends who were enjoying skating, doing the tricks that had taken him months to do himself. Miya and Langa, on the other hand, seemed to do it all in the space of a few days and weeks. As if it really was that easy. All at a pace he couldn't keep up with. They just left him behind, somewhere in the middle of the forgotten wasteland where everyone arrived without meaning to one day. That was the problem. _He was meaningless._ And the certainty squeezed his chest painfully, making every breath ache as his eyes burned treacherously. Blinking felt like rubbing sandpaper over the lids. It brought tears to light, which he hastily wiped away with the sleeve of his sweater. Crying like a toddler about the problem didn't get him anywhere either. But the will to stand up and change something had long since drowned in self-doubt. _What good would it do to join them now and stop Langa?  
_ In the end, he was no more than the last light in a group that didn't need him. Not him, the guy with no name. The redhead who had been skateboarding for quite a while and yet was completely unknown and not particularly good, while Langa already had a solid name and difficult opponents behind him in no time. _Snow_.  
And Miya was also right up there with them. They all were, whether Cherry Blossom, Joe or Shadow. They all possessed a name, a face in the eyes of others. Only he had come to nothing. One couldn't even look at him and say they'd seen him before. Perhaps because he had always been a bit of a coward. Reluctant because he didn't want to be remembered as a loser. But he hadn't even made it to that. Because Langa had shown up and stolen the show.  
 _Or something like that._

Snorting, Reki put his head back, looking at the passing clouds, which seemed peaceful and yet allowed no rest. Because the sky seemed as bright and friendly as Langa's hair and also because the clouds were white as snow. Hasegawa was hiding everywhere. And Kyan couldn't run away. Instead, he was stuck in this place, forced to put a good face on a game he no longer wanted to play. _Not like this._ When one were bad at something, the smart thing to do was to give up. No one who always finished last in the race kept trying. No one found joy in being last. Because the position was almost more pathetic than the certainty of not being known. At some point, people would look at him askance and wonder who this strange guy was who always ran alongside the great Snow. He really didn't want that post. At the same time, he wasn't good enough to rise to the upper ranks in one leap. He lacked the tactics for that. Something that gave him recognition and made him strong. The way Cherry possessed Carla, Joe convinced with strength, Miya mastered his tricks, Shadow cheated, and Langa flew through the air.  
 _What could he do in comparison?  
_ _Nothing.  
_ One more time he looked ahead, contemplating Langa in that tangled light of perfection that seemed to hang over him, as if the luck of the world were on his side. On his all alone. It brushed brightly through his hair, making his smile radiant and his trials and mishaps enviable. Everything he did was better than what Reki managed on his best days. At least, that's how it felt. Kyan was losing touch, a little more with each passing day, and it was wearing on his nerves. So he closed his eyes.  
Just for a breath, he no longer wanted to think about how good Langa was, how much difference there was in them after such a short time. Perhaps because Reki possessed inhibitions that Hasegawa didn't. There had to be some explanation. One that made him sigh because he couldn't stop thinking about it. Not for a single moment. Instead, the doubts kept turning circles, leaving furrows he didn't want to deal with any longer. Because it wasn't fair. He had put his heart and soul into skating for so much longer and yet he wasn't getting anywhere. Not a single step, no matter how much effort he put into it. Instead, everything stagnated and the light in his chest, the fire to skate, had burnt out. It had been replaced by resentment.  
Yet he and Langa were friends and in a week's time there was the second race against Adam, which would probably finally bring a decision. He had to support him, cheer him on, as they did from the sidelines. But fear overcame him. Reki couldn't shake the thought that after a victory everything would be over. Then this gap would be final. _And did Langa even need someone to give him encouragement? Did he need Reki?  
_ _Probably not._

Kyan pressed his lips together tensely because his chest was tightening more and more and the pain was literally bending his ribs. Breathing was difficult, as was admitting that he was good for nothing. For Langa, he was truly nothing more than a stepping stone. Now there was no more room for Reki, no more room for the wallowing jealousy that plagued him because Hasegawa had mastered everything he himself had failed at for so long. His friend simply ran ahead without looking back, thus leaving Reki alone on the track. In a place that hadn't seemed so deserted before. And Langa had no problems with that. He didn't care, as if this friendship had been nothing more than a buffer.  
In thought, Kyan slowly pushed himself up the bars, found himself shakily on his feet, felt sleepy tingles in his legs that hung like pudding in his muscles. The skateboard next to him seemed worthless, suddenly no longer feeling like the dearest toy of all. Only the wild thoughts remained. The fantastic ideas that turned grey and brought spiteful voices to the fore. Quiet noises that solidified devious thoughts within him.  
Langa would face Adam again in a week.  
 _He will race against the guy you were so fucking scared of_ , it taunted in his head. _The guy who's invincible and whose stupid technique was just passed over by Langa because in the end he's just out of reach for you. And on top of that, Langa seems to like it too. Because Adam is better than you. He is more interesting. He can give Langa what you don't have.  
_ “I know that...” muttered Reki to himself, lowering his eyes to his own shoes, their dirt drawing striking patterns. “I know it...”  
 _Embarrassed, pathetic_ , it went on in his head, distorting his own voice into a spiteful sound full of scorn. _Maybe you should give up skating. Do the general public a favour. The others don't need you.  
_ They really didn't. _Who needed a tail light either, when all you did was skate steadily ahead?  
_ The bland aftertaste on his tongue was crushing, squeezing his throat as if the mere thoughts were trying to choke him. At the same time, he didn't want to let go. The fear was there, but the love had to be in there somewhere too. He couldn't just give up skating overnight. He had put too much sweat, blood and tears into this hobby that was slowly coming apart at the seams. _Was he really going to let it get him down so easily?  
_ Definitely not.

With a stubborn snort, Reki sank his hands into his trouser pockets and looked ahead, where Hasegawa was performing a big Spin that really had potential. He wouldn't even have to practise and he would deliver the next one perfectly on the line. Langa's talent was amazing and at the same time it was devastating to this friendship Reki was about to enjoy.  
There was the desire for days when they sprint down the streets together, making mistakes and no one could tell who would win the next impromptu race. A rosy notion that didn't work when Langa could do so much more so quickly than Reki would ever achieve.  
 _If he gets any further away, he'll have nothing in common with a loser like you_ , it filtered through to him from the back of his mind. _And it was true._ He would be on his own when Langa realised they were no longer compatible – that Hasegawa was becoming more and more like Snow, in a league no one could reach but Adam. _But what could he do about it? What could he do but make all the effort in the world to somehow become better himself?  
_ Tonelessly he laughed. Not even that was possible. He wasn't nearly as fast as the others, not even when he was seriously trying. Maybe Langa really would be better off with the others. As a conclusion to this friendship. Giving up now was better than wasting any more time. Reki could just walk away and not look back. Walk away until it stopped hurting and he found something better for himself.  
 _Or he simply overreacted._ Saw things too critically because envy was speaking out of him. No matter how much he wanted to begrudge his friend this success, the reverberations of his own lack of talent lingered, gnawing at the kind notions and congratulations for Langa.  
Discord that drove him mad. Ultimately, he didn't want to have to feel this way, but the ugly words in his head sprouted like weeds and entwined themselves around everything he loved, while it combined with panicked fear of losing Langa completely. Of no longer being best friends at some point because they shared little else outside of skating. They were almost strangers to each other outside of that. At school they talked about boards and tricks, in their free time they skated around and attended the S-races. There was nothing else between them. Something Reki could easily change with a little more time. More than just seven days.  
Kyan didn't want to believe it himself, but suddenly the race against Adam seemed like his last great hope. It was the perfect opportunity to rein in Langa. If they raced to the end and Adam proved how scary a board could really be, maybe Hasegawa would learn. He would stop. Take a breath. He would seek comfort from Reki and need help getting back on the board. That would give Kyan time. Enough to fashion and highlight the board he had started in his little workshop so he could give Langa a comforting surprise with it.  
 _Maybe Langa will break a leg too_ , it came over Reki, chasing a jolt of unwanted joy through his chest that left abject guilt in the next moment. As a friend, he should hope for Langa's victory, not his maiming. And yet, he glanced at Hasegawa, saw only that perfect sunshine there, coping with everything without a hitch. Leaving Reki more and more in the shadows, ungrateful even though he had shown him so much. _Was it really wrong to think what a race against Adam could do? How beautiful it could become? Just for a moment?_  
Indecisive, Kyan clutched his chest, took a breath. No matter what he did, it wouldn't ease the pain, the self-doubt, the fear. So he accepted the images in his mind.  
Just this once.


End file.
